KSPR
Encyclopedia
KSPR, virtual channel
33, is the ABC
-affiliated television station
for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri
that is licensed to Springfield
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter in Fordland
. Owned by Perkin Media, it is operated by Schurz Communications
of South Bend, Indiana
through a shared services
agreement (SSA) as sister station to NBC
affiliate KYTV
and low-powered CW affiliate K15CZ
. All three share studios on West Sunshine Street in Springfield.
. However in 1986, ABC dropped its affiliation with KDEB-TV (now KOZL-TV) and gave it to KSPR. On September 21, 2006, Piedmont Television
announced that it would sell KSPR to Perkin Media, LLC. Under the agreement, Schurz Communications took over KSPR's operations under a shared services agreement. It remained at its studios on East Saint Louis Street in Springfield. Perkin Media took over ownership of the station on August 28, 2007.
On September 9, the on-air branding was changed to "KSPR ABC". Prior to then, it was branded as "Springfield 33, Where Springfield Comes First" with weather coverage labeled "Where Your Forecast Comes First". For a short period of time, it was branded as "ABC 33". Notable former employees of the station include: Mark Steines
(correspondent for Entertainment Tonight
), John Brown (former anchor for The Daily Buzz
), and Terry Kniess (later became known for perfect showcase bid on The Price is Right
).
, Jeopardy!
, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
, The Dr. Oz Show
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
.
character. Host segments were locally produced and featured local actor Jim Kellett in the role of "Count Norlock", a vampire reminiscent of Count Orlok
from the 1922 F. W. Murnau
film Nosferatu. Featuring films such as Magic and The Brides of Dracula, The Late Night Horror Show with Count Norlock only lasted one season.
From 1985 until 1990, Springfield area kids went home after school to watch Sammy's Place on KSPR, an afternoon show hosted by hobo clown "Sammy B. Good". The afternoon program featured cartoons such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, Voltron, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. Between cartoons, Sammy featured area kids as in-studio guests and entertained with a number of clown acts and skits. He famously excited the in-studio kids with screams of "Everybody go 'yeaaaa'!" which would be echoed in unison.
, it does not air local news weeknights at 5, but does air a late afternoon newscast at 4 p.m.
KSPR Weather
Sports team
Reporters
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
33, is the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
that is licensed to Springfield
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter in Fordland
Fordland, Missouri
Fordland is a city in Webster County, Missouri, United States. The population was 762 at the 2009 census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Fordland is located at ....
. Owned by Perkin Media, it is operated by Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television, cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida...
of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
through a shared services
Shared services
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...
agreement (SSA) as sister station to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate KYTV
KYTV (TV)
KYTV, virtual channel 3, is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in Fordland...
and low-powered CW affiliate K15CZ
K15CZ
K15CZ is the low-powered CW-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter on East Kearney Street near Doling Park...
. All three share studios on West Sunshine Street in Springfield.
Digital programming
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:| Subchannel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 33.1 | main KSPR programming / ABC HD |
| 33.2 | K15CZ K15CZ K15CZ is the low-powered CW-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter on East Kearney Street near Doling Park... ("Ozarks CW") |
Analog-to-digital conversion
On June 12, 2009, KSPR abandoned its analog channel 33 and moved to channel 19 when the analog to digital conversion was completed.History
KSPR originally signed on-the-air March 9, 1983 as Springfield's first independent stationIndependent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
. However in 1986, ABC dropped its affiliation with KDEB-TV (now KOZL-TV) and gave it to KSPR. On September 21, 2006, Piedmont Television
Piedmont Television
Piedmont Television was a broadcasting company in the United States that owned television stations in smaller markets. The company was based in Charlotte, North Carolina....
announced that it would sell KSPR to Perkin Media, LLC. Under the agreement, Schurz Communications took over KSPR's operations under a shared services agreement. It remained at its studios on East Saint Louis Street in Springfield. Perkin Media took over ownership of the station on August 28, 2007.
On September 9, the on-air branding was changed to "KSPR ABC". Prior to then, it was branded as "Springfield 33, Where Springfield Comes First" with weather coverage labeled "Where Your Forecast Comes First". For a short period of time, it was branded as "ABC 33". Notable former employees of the station include: Mark Steines
Mark Steines
Mark Anthony Steines is an American broadcast journalist and host of the syndicated gossip and entertainment round-up program Entertainment Tonight since 2004. He joined the show on August 24, 1995.-Personal life:...
(correspondent for Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
), John Brown (former anchor for The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
), and Terry Kniess (later became known for perfect showcase bid on The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
).
Programming
Syndicated programming on KSPR includes: The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
, The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
.
Locally-produced programming
Beginning on April 21, 1989 and ending the same year, KSPR produced and aired The Late Night Horror Show with Count Norlock. This show featured syndicated horror films along with new introductory and interstitial segments featuring a horror hostHorror host
Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. This tradition is primarily American, though there have been a few international hosts over the years.-Film Packages:...
character. Host segments were locally produced and featured local actor Jim Kellett in the role of "Count Norlock", a vampire reminiscent of Count Orlok
Count Orlok
Count Orlok is a fictional character portrayed by Max Schreck in the silent movie Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens...
from the 1922 F. W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm "F. W." Murnau was one of the most influential German film directors of the silent era, and a prominent figure in the expressionist movement in German cinema during the 1920s...
film Nosferatu. Featuring films such as Magic and The Brides of Dracula, The Late Night Horror Show with Count Norlock only lasted one season.
From 1985 until 1990, Springfield area kids went home after school to watch Sammy's Place on KSPR, an afternoon show hosted by hobo clown "Sammy B. Good". The afternoon program featured cartoons such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, Voltron, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. Between cartoons, Sammy featured area kids as in-studio guests and entertained with a number of clown acts and skits. He famously excited the in-studio kids with screams of "Everybody go 'yeaaaa'!" which would be echoed in unison.
News operation
On November 1, 2009, KSPR moved into KYTV's newly renovated facilities and began airing its local broadcasts in high definition from a secondary set. The two stations maintain separate news departments. KSPR also added a gray and black "33" to its logo. Unlike most ABC affiliates in the Central Time ZoneCentral Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, it does not air local news weeknights at 5, but does air a late afternoon newscast at 4 p.m.
Newscast titles
- Channel 33 News (1983–1986)
- 33 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1986–1989) - NewsTeam 33 (1989–1991 and 1993–1996)
- 33 Newstime (1991–1993)
- News 33 (1996–1999)
- ABC 33 News (1999–2003)
- Springfield 33 News (2003–2007)
- KSPR News (2007–present)
Station slogans
- "Together on 33" (1986–1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- "Something's Happening on 33" (1987–1990; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- "America's Watching 33" (1990–1992; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- "It Must Be 33" (1992–1993; localized version of "It Must Be ABC" ad campaign)
- "Where Springfield Comes First." (2004–2007; general slogan)
- "Where Your Forecast Comes First." (2004–2007; weather slogan)
- "Covering Our Community" (2007–present)
News team
Anchors- Hugh Keeton - weekday mornings
- Joe Daues - weeknights at 4, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Lauren Matter - weekend evenings; also weeknight reporter
- Leigh Moody - weeknights at 4, 6 and 10 p.m.
KSPR Weather
- Kevin Lighty (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; Monday-Friday at 4, 6 and 10 p.m. - Natalie Nunn - meteorologist; weekday mornings
- Aaron Boll, weekend evenings
Sports team
- Mike Scott - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Matt Warner - sports anchor; weekend evenings
Reporters
- Jonah Kaplan - general assignment reporter
- Mary Moloney - general asssignment reporter
- Emily Rittman - general assignment reporter
- Joanna Small - general assignment reporter